


Once Again

by ohsehunseoul



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: All of Jongin's dogs, Jjangah - Freeform, Jjanggu - Freeform, M/M, Meokmul - Freeform, monggu
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-09-28 05:08:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17176499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohsehunseoul/pseuds/ohsehunseoul
Summary: Jongin swears his dogs are good and have always listened to him. It wasn't his fault that his incompetent best friend wasn't good at keeping an eye on his dogs. The fact that they misbehaved only when it came to his neighbor, Do Kyungsoo's, garden had nothing to do with the way he took care of them.Hey, at least his dogs got him to talk to the cute new neighbor.





	Once Again

**Author's Note:**

> This was prompt 66 for the Our Love as One fest! Thank you to the prompter and the moderators!

Jongin loved his dogs, he really did. He put more trust into the three poodles than he did into most people, especially his irresponsible best friend that he begrudgingly let take his dogs outside while he was wrist deep into a bowl of cabbage covered in gochujang.

“I promise, it will be fine.” His dimpled best friend waved Jongin’s concern away before pushing his round framed glasses up the bridge of his nose.

“Really, I can do it.” Jongin began to take off the gloves on his hands. “Last time, Monggu almost got hit by a cyclist because you were too busy hiding from the pigeons. Seriously, who is afraid of a pigeon, Yixing?”

Yixing held his hand to his chest, feigning offense. “Me, that’s who!” He crossed his arms. “Anyway, it will be _fine._ Don’t be such a worry wart.”

Yixing opened the door and the three dogs ran out into the fenced front yard. After the dogs ran out, Yixing closed the door and went to the living room, falling back on the navy-blue couch and pulling out his phone.

“You’re not going to keep an eye on them?” Jongin asked, checking his reflection in the microwave to wipe a streak of pepper paste off of his cheek with a napkin. Jongin went to wash his hands, waiting for his friend to answer. “Yixing!” He repeated when the older didn’t respond.

“What, what?” Yixing boredly answered, poking his head up from behind the cushion.

“You have to stop stalking that poor barista’s Instagram. You’re already creepy enough with the way you found out his last name.” Jongin wiped his hands dry on the towel next to the sink and approached Yixing with his arms crossed.

“Jongin, we’re in South Korea. The most common last name here is Kim. YOUR last name is Kim. It’s not that creepy that I looked at the schedule to find out his last name. Don’t bully me.” Yixing rolled his eyes and collapsed back down onto the couch.

“You’re one to talk. Zhang is one of the most common last names in China, you loser.” Jongin picked up one of the pillows from the loveseat adjacent to the couch and threw it at Yixing.

Jongin looked out the window to check on his dogs, freezing when he couldn’t see them. “Yixing…” Jongin slowly said.

“What is it this time? Are you going to whine to me again? If so, I don’t want to hear it.” Yixing lightly covered his ears with his palms.

“Did you close the gate when you got here?” Jongin turned frightfully slowly from the window to look at Yixing.

“Oh,” Yixing worried his bottom lip in concentration, “I dunno. Probably?”

Jongin threw the door open and deflated when he saw the gate open. Luckily, his two toy poodles, Jjanggu and Jjangah, and appeared from underneath the window where they were laying down.

Jongin ushered the two in before closing the door and looking for his oldest, Monggu. Monggu was his only standard poodle, so his slightly larger stature may be easier for him to see.

His eyes immediately shot over to his neighbor’s yard when he heard yapping that he easily recognized as Monggu’s.

He had just gotten a new neighbor three days prior. Though he hadn’t seen the individual that moved in, he could tell they had a green thumb. The new neighbor’s yard was immaculate; it was surrounded by neatly trimmed hedges and flourishing flowers. It had Jongin a little jealous that he could barely keep his cactus plant alive and the neighbor practically had a perfect garden.

Jongin exited his own lawn and kneeled down in front of the neighbor’s. Monggu was eyeing a squirrel perched on top of one of the hedges.

Jongin snapped to get his dog’s attention, as he was afraid to step on the perfectly symmetrical cut grass.

“Monggu!” He half-whispered half-yelled. “Come here!”

Monggu glanced over at Jongin and wagged his tail. Luckily, his dogs tended to listen to him, so Monggu trotted over to his owner, pink tongue lazily hanging from his mouth as he did so.

Just as Jongin picked up the poodle, the front door opened, and the owner exited. It was a male, looking down at a watering can in his hands before taking the few stairs to his walkway.  He slowly looked up when he saw he wasn’t alone.

“Uh, hi.” Jongin awkwardly said, weakly waving to his neighbor. “I’m really sorry, but my friend let my dogs out without closing my gate and then this one came over and went into your yard and he didn’t do anything wrong because he was just looking at a squirrel, but I swear he’s going to be in big trouble for coming here in the first place.” He rambled.

The stranger’s intimidating stare turned into crinkled eyes and a wide smile, plump lips curving up in delight.

Jongin didn’t know what kind of neighbor he was expecting, but he certainly didn’t think his neighbor would be an extremely attractive male that looked relatively close in age to him. His new neighbor had deep blue, nearly black, hair styled to the side with the bottom shaved into an undercut. He was shorter than Jongin by quite a bit but was lean and held himself well. He had a sunhat hanging on his back, the strings tied loosely around his neck. His black graphic tee paired with a striped undershirt and equally dark jeans with boots made him look daunting, especially with his thick straight brows, but his smile said otherwise.   

“It’s alright. Luckily, I need to cut the lawn, so it’s no big deal. As long as he didn’t get to my daisies, it’s fine.”

“Okay.” Jongin sighed. “Again, I’m really sorry. It won’t happen again.”

 

It did happen again.

 

Two days later, Jongin let Jjanggu out when the dog kept pawing at the door. He was busy giving Jjangah a bath after he accidentally spilled some flour on her while making cookies. Jongin had just gotten her out of the bath and was about to dry Jjangah when he heard pounding on his front door.

Jongin closed the bathroom door to stop Jjangah from escaping when he went to open the front door.

He was more than surprised to see his hot neighbor holding Jjanggu. The shorter had a tight-lipped smile on his face when he eyed Jongin.

“Your dog somehow found his way to my lawn. Again.” His neighbor handed Jongin his dog through outstretched arms.

“Oh,” Jongin forced laugher, “This isn’t the same dog. That one was Monggu. This one here is Jjanggu.”

“How many dogs do you have?” His neighbor quirked a brow.

“Three!” Jongin chirmed.

“Great.” Hot neighbor murmured under his breath.

Jongin set down his dog and glanced back at his neighbor to formally apologize.

Before he could get his words out, Jjangah must have managed to figure her way out of the bathroom, because she dashed past Jongin and out the front door, jumping up on Kyungsoo’s leather boots.

“Jjangah, inside!” Jongin commanded. The toy poodle complied and walked back into the house with her tail between her legs. Once she was inside, he examined the damage. The calves of his neighbor’s jeans had small pawprints on it and his shoes had puddles of water from her fur.

“Oh my God. I am so sorry.” Jongin ran back into his house to get the kitchen towel before wiping the tops of his neighbor’s shoes. “I don’t know what has gotten into them. They have never done this.”

“You don’t have to do that.” The dark-haired male said. “Just keep an eye on them.”

“I will, sir.” Jongin didn’t know what to call the other.

“It’s Kyungsoo.” His neighbor said.

“Alright, well, I’m incredibly sorry, Kyungsoo. I’m Jongin by the way.” Jongin bowed apologetically.

Another forced smile appeared on Kyungsoo’s face before he turned to walk back to his house.

Great, his neighbor, who may quite possibly be the most attractive person Jongin had ever seen, hated him. Awesome.

“It won’t happen again.” Jongin said to himself as he closed the door. “I swear it won’t happen again.”

 

Turns out, Jongin can’t keep a promise.

 

Five days later, Jongin was jogging with Yixing. It was a beautiful night out and they wanted to take advantage of it.

Jongin seemed to have forgotten that it was the day before Halloween and one of the ‘pranks’ people enjoyed was setting off fireworks in the middle of the night.

“What are we waiting for?” Yixing whined, already wrapping his arms around himself to protect his body from the cold. “Let’s go.

The two had stopped in a convenience store to get a couple of bottles of tea before heading back to Jongin’s.

“Hey, sorry I’m late. Some lady decided to come in two minutes before close and order ten drinks! Ten! All different kinds, too.”

Jongin and Yixing turned to the source of the voice. It was barista, also known as Junmyeon, also known as the guy Yixing was crushing on pretty hard.

Jongin had run into Junmyeon at the gym the night previous and ended up chatting with the barista for the majority of his workout. Somehow, Junmyeon got invited to go for a run with them the next night.

Junmyeon’s curls were complimented by the colorful headband he had around his forehead. He fashioned the same gray sweatpants Jongin was wearing and a black tee-shirt.

“Not a problem.” Jongin pat Junmyeon on the shoulder. He faced Yixing and feigned shock. “Oh, did I forget to tell you that I invited Junmyeon to jog with us? Turns out he’s pretty big into working out, as well. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Yeah,” Junmyeon smiled sheepishly at Yixing, “Sorry if it’s an inconvenience. It just sounded fun to jog with you two. You’re always super nice at the café.”

“Oh, of course it’s okay.” Yixing sputtered. “I don’t mind at all. I just didn’t realize.”

Jongin gave Junmyeon a look Yixing couldn’t decipher before they began to jog.

“We try to go jogging together a few times a week if you want to join in.” Jongin said through heavy breaths. “We usually watch a movie or something after too.”

“I don’t want to intrude on your jogs from now onm” Junmyeon breathed out, “Let alone interrupt your movie dates after.”

“Dates? No, we aren’t dating. I’m not dating him.” Yixing said. “I’m not dating anyone, actually.”

Junmyeon laughed. “It’s an expression. I didn’t mean a literal date.”

“I totally knew that.” Yixing quickened his pace.

They slowed down once they got to Jongin’s neighborhood, each taking a moment to catch their breath.

When they got to Jongin’s house, he opened the door. As soon as the door was slightly ajar, a loud explosion of fireworks erupted above them.

Jongin clutched his heart, Yixing practically jumped onto Junmyeon, and Jjangah went running, followed by Monggu.

He knew exactly where they were going. He tried to dive in front them to stop the poodles from going into Kyungsoo’s garden, only to fall on the concrete and scrape up his elbows.

To kick him while he was down, another explosion of fireworks erupted and Jongin fell back onto the concrete once more.

He slowly got himself up and looked in horror at his dogs. They made shelter in the raspberry bushes Kyungsoo had in his garden.

Just as he was about to get his dogs, Kyungsoo’s front door opened and he walked down his walkway to admire the fireworks.

It took him a moment to notice Jongin, immediately walking over to him and bending down to help him up.

“Are you okay?” Kyungsoo asked, worry painted on his face. “What are you doing in front of my house?”

Jongin eyed the garden and then looked back at Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo turned around to see the dogs sheepishly exiting the bushes and trotting back to Jongin’s house.

“Oh.” Kyungsoo bitterly said, nearly letting Jongin fall when he saw the dogs.

Luckily, Jongin saw Yixing close the door when the dogs entered and made his way over to Jongin with Junmyeon in tow.

“Yo, I knew you were afraid of fireworks, but that was intense.” Yixing looked down proudly at Jongin, hands on his hips. He finally noticed Kyungsoo and smiled. “Hot neighbor! Nice to meet you.”

“He meant to say neighbor.” Jongin said through gritted teeth. He got himself up and bowed apologetically to Kyungsoo for the nth time.

“Wait, is that Kyungsoo?” Junmyeon asked. “It’s hard to see while it’s so dark out.”

Junmyeon walked forward to stand in front of Jongin’s neighbor.

“Junmyeon? What are you doing here?” Kyungsoo asked.

“I was jogging with these guys. I didn’t remember you moved! When you called me, I forgot to ask you for your new address.” Junmyeon laughed and placed his hand on Kyungsoo’s forearm.

“You guys know each other?” Jongin looked from Junmyeon to Kyungsoo.

“We’re step-brothers.” Junmyeon and Kyungsoo said at the same time.

“Holy shit, small world.” Yixing scratched his temple.

“Well, now that you know this guy.” Kyungsoo nodded in Jongin’s direction. “Can you please get him some heavy-duty leashes for his dogs? Maybe a new lock for his gate. My roses were missing a few petals, I wonder why?” Kyungsoo turned to look at Jongin. “Also, the little gifts your dogs have been leaving me aren’t fertilizing my plants, for the record.”

“He’s just the worst, isn’t he?” Yixing joked, throwing an arm around Jongin’s shoulders.

“Some best friend you are.” Jongin kicked his shoe against the cement, letting his brunette bangs fall into his eyes a he looked down in shame at the sidewalk.

Kyungsoo watched Jongin’s expression with an entertained expression. Giving his neighbor a hard time had been fun for him, but now he kind of felt bad.

“I’ll make sure that the dogs don’t get out.” Yixing reassured Kyungsoo.

“You’re the whole reason they got out the first time!” Jongin pouted. “The pups never did this to my old neighbor. I don’t get why they’re doing it now.”

“Because your lawn is trash and Kyungsoo’s garden is beautiful.” Yixing flicked Jongin on the forehead.

“Anyway,” Junmyeon cut in and Jongin made a mental note to thank the barista, “I’ll see you around, little brother. Your mom said that we’re going out for dinner tomorrow, I think.”

“Yeah.” Kyungsoo smiled at his step-brother. “Your dad wanted to try out some new American restaurant that opened up near their place.”

“Sounds good. Want me to pick you up and we can go together, since I know where you live now?” Junmyeon questioned.

“Sure thing.” Kyungsoo said. “I have to go finish up this chapter, but I’ll call you later?” Kyungsoo pointed finger guns at Junmyeon.

“Alright, good luck.” Junmyeon returned the gesture.

As Kyungsoo opened his door, Jongin shouted to him from the sidewalk.

“It won’t happen again. Sorry, neighbor!” He called.

Kyungsoo still had his hand on the handle of his door as he half-turned to Jongin.

“I’ve heard that one before.”

…

The next time Jongin’s dogs got into Kyungsoo’s garden was a mystery to Jongin. He fixed the lock on his fence, as well as adding a bar that had to be lifted on the metal frame. Somehow, the three devils he called his dogs made their way to Kyungsoo’s yard. They were so used to breaking out that they essentially didn’t need to use Jongin’s yard anymore, much to Jongin’s chagrin.

Jongin was able to scoop up his dogs and lean over his fence to plop them on the ground. Luckily, his fences only went up as far as the hedges in Kyungsoo’s garden, so he could easily put them on the ground safely.

Kyungsoo wasn’t home. Jongin remembered he went out with his family, so Jongin cleaned up the evidence and went back to his house to furiously clean his hands before neatly packaging up some of the pastries he recently made and put them on the pillar next to his door with an apology note.

When Kyungsoo got back that night after being dropped off by Junmyeon, he noticed the platter of cookies with a ribbon decorated with bears. He smiled to himself before picking up the note.

                _Kyungsoo,_

_I know I’m a broken record at this point, but I am so sorry. My dogs got into your garden again. I swear, I changed the lock and put up extra measures, so they wouldn’t get out, but they still did. I’m the worst neighbor ever. I hope the pastries make up for it, unless you’re allergic to gluten or something. If that’s the case, please don’t eat them. Anyway, I apologize on behalf of my children. Thanks for tolerating us._

_From,_

_Jongin_

Sure, it got annoying that Jongin’s dogs managed their way into his garden, but the fact that he had a super sweet neighbor that looked like a model didn’t make it unbearable. He knew the kid got flustered, so he just had to make sure to give him a hard time.

…

Jongin was coming back from work a week later, not bothering to change out of the gray sweater and black track pants he was wearing to instruct in.

He was tired; teaching choreography to trainees that would rather sit around and play games on their phones was not easy, especially when he had to physically take their phones from them.

Jongin watched the ground as he walked through his gate and into his house. He flipped on the lights and let Monggu out. He was the only one awake, so he would let the others dogs out later.

Before he did, he quadruple checked that the gate was locked and headed back into the house to turn on the stove. Nothing sounded better to him than a big plate of jajangmyeon.

He let Monggu in when he heard pawing at the door and continued to cook. Just as he was heating up the sauce for his noodles, he heard a firm knock on his door.

Jongin felt his stomach flip. He cleaned his hands, throwing the kitchen towel over his shoulder before opening the door.

Of course, it was Kyungsoo. His arms were crossed over his chest and he had an unreadable expression on his face. His salmon-colored sweater had a dirt stain on the right sleeve.

“Hi, Kyungsoo.” Jongin ducked his head as he leaned against the doorframe.

“Listen,” Kyungsoo started, “These are not my dogs and I’d appreciate it if you’d take them elsewhere to shit other than my garden.”

“What? That’s not possible.” Jongin frowned. “The gate has a dog-proof lock on it. Sometimes, I even struggle to open it!”

“I could open it just fine.” Kyungsoo said.

Jongin puffed out his cheeks and exhaled slowly. “Did you trip?”

“What?” Kyungsoo asked before he looked at his sleeve. “Oh. I was picking some flowers and a bee came flying out and it startled me, so I fell.”

“Hold on.” Jongin held up a finger before retreating back into his house. He came back with a damp kitchen towel. “It had hydrogen peroxide on it.”

He handed the towel to Kyungsoo.

“Do you have any white vinegar in your house?” Jongin asked, watching Kyungsoo wipe his sweater.

“I might.” Kyungsoo answered.

Jongin left again and came back with a small bottle of vinegar. “Here, take this. Soak your sweater with some of the vinegar and dish soap. It should come out.”

Kyungsoo looked up from his sleeve and at Jongin. He handed Jongin the towel before taking the vinegar. “Uh, wow, thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” Jongin threw the towel over his shoulder again. “Sorry for the millionth time.”

Kyungsoo shrugged. “Oh, thank you for the pastries. I’ll bring your plate back.”

Jongin waved away his comment. “No problem. Have a good day.”

…

Jongin was going crazy. He couldn’t figure out how his dogs were getting into Kyungsoo’s garden. It was more often than not that Kyungsoo would show up on his doorstep to tell him that his dogs got into his yard.

It became custom for Jongin to check the fence at least five times throughout the day.

“This is getting ridiculous.” He told himself.

Jongin finally found out how his dogs were getting into Kyungsoo’s yard when he saw them show up in front of his door covered in dirt. They dug a hole under the fence and through the hedges to get to Kyungsoo’s harden.

“Oh no,” Jongin picked up the dogs, “What did you do this time?”

As much as he didn’t want to, Jongin looked over to Kyungsoo’s yard once he herded his dogs into the house and deflated. A lot of Kyungsoo’s flowers were either chewed up or trampled. His grass was dug up from Jongin’s dogs rolling around in it and Kyungsoo’s vegetable garden suddenly didn’t have vegetables. The worst of it all was the devastated look Kyungsoo had on his face as he stared at the remnants of his garden.

Jongin ran out of the house and stopped in front of Kyungsoo’s house.

“Kyungsoo, I-“ Jongin was cut off by Kyungsoo staring up at him with sadness in his eyes.

“How?” Kyungsoo quietly said. “How do three little dogs do this? Why are they the spawn of Satan?”

“They aren’t, usually.” Jongin slowly approached Kyungsoo. “I can make it up to you. I’ll spend as long as I need to help you. I can fix it. Just tell me everything you need to replace, and I can get the stuff today and help you first thing tomorrow.”

“Where’s your phone?” Kyungsoo asked. “I can just text you everything, since I have to figure it out.”

Jongin pulled his phone out of his hoodie pocket and handed it to Kyungsoo. This wasn’t the way he wanted to get Kyungsoo’s number.

Kyungsoo input his number and sent a text to himself from Jongin’s phone.

“Here.” Kyungsoo said. “I work from home, so you can come whenever, unless you have to work.”

“Nah.” Jongin shrugged and pocketed his phone. “My schedule is pretty open.” He said. “Anyway, text me. I’ll head over to the store after I give my dogs a bath.”

Jongin waved to Kyungsoo and retreated back to his house. The stare he gave his dogs made them surround him with their heads ducked down.

“Do you see what you did?” Jongin put his hands on his hips and scowled at the poodles. “You ruined my chances with Kyungsoo. Not that I had any, but that’s besides the point!” Jongin looked up in thought. “Actually, you did get me his phone number, so maybe I’m not as mad at you as I should be. Regardless, you’re all about to get baths, so joke’s on you.”

Jongin scooped up Jjangah first before he laughed to himself. “Oh my God, I’ve resorted to talking to my dogs.”

Later on in the day, Kyungsoo sent him everything he needed and Jongin recruited Yixing to help him pick up everything at the store.

“So,” Jongin reached up to the top shelf to grab a packet of carrot seeds, “How are things going with barista? He gave you his number after we watched the movie, right?”

“He said to text him the days we want to go jogging. Last time I checked, that wasn’t him flirting.” Yixing bent down to pick up a bag of soil.

“You’re oblivious.” Jongin rolled his eyes. He collected the remaining seeds he needed before buying a few patches of grass.

“How about you? I mean, your neighbor probably hates your guts, but maybe something can come out of it.” Yixing grinned, earning a packet of seeds to the face.

“Jerk. I need a new best friend.” Jongin playfully punched Yixing on the bicep.

“Impossible. You’ll never find someone as charming as me.” Yixing returned the gesture.

“Not true. Maybe I should call up Chanyeol. He wouldn’t treat me like this.” Jongin grinned.

“You’re an ass.” Yixing sneered at Jongin. “Fine, then I’ll call up Jongdae. Two can play at that game.”

The two shared a scowl before laughing and wrapping their arms around each other.

“You’re an idiot, but I love you.” Jongin said.

“Yeah, yeah.” Yixing rolled his eyes. “Let’s pay and get this stuff to lover boy before your dogs destroy the place again.”

Yixing helped Jongin put the items Jongin got in Kyungsoo’s yard before heading out.

Jongin got started,too worried to knock on Kyungsoo’s door to let him know he was working. He started with replacing the soil in the vegetable garden before adding fertilizer and the seeds he got. He made sure to buy a few extra vegetable seeds Kyungsoo didn’t mention, so the other male could be surprised when they finished growing.

He had just gotten to the strawberry seeds, when he heard movement in the grass behind him.

He took off his cap and ruffled his hair before turning around to see Kyungsoo.

“Hey.” Kyungsoo said. “Sorry, I didn’t know you were here already.”

“I just didn’t want to bother you.” Jongin smiled. “I know you’re busy. Besides, this is all my fault.”

Kyungsoo’s unreadable expression changed to a small smile. “Well, it was your dogs that did it, not you. Let me help. I’m just going to get my gloves.”

Before Jongin could answer, Kyungsoo went into the shed behind his house and came back with a pair of gloves and two bottles of green tea.

“I put a mini-fridge in there since I spend a lot of time out here.” Kyungsoo said as he handed one of the bottles to Jongin. He set his in the grass and put on his gloves before he kneeled down next to Jongin.

The two planted seeds in silence for a while, until Kyungsoo broke the silence.

“So, Jongin, what do you do?” Kyungsoo asked.

Jongin planted the last celery seed before wiping his gloves together. “I’m a dance instructor. It’s mostly by appointment, but I also spend a lot of the time creating choreography for rookie groups and some debuted groups. It’s pretty fun.”

“Really?” Kyungsoo eyed Jongin in surprise. “I should have figured you were a dancer with that body.”

Jongin reddened, unsure of how to take the comment. “What about you? I think you mentioned writing to Junmyeon. Are you an author?”

“I am.” Kyungsoo smiled to himself, something Jongin found adorable. “I write a lot of non-fiction horror and thrillers. It’s not for everyone, but I have wanted to be an author all my life.”

“I think that’s very cool.” Jongin assured Kyungsoo. “I enjoy horror movies, so I can imagine how cool it is to immerse oneself in the writing.” He said. “Do you have a penname, or do you go by your real name?”

“I have a penname.” Kyungsoo said. “I’m kind of secretive about it, but I guess we are on some friendly terms, or at least I am with your dogs. I don’t know about you, yet.”

Jongin frowned at the comment. Kyungsoo rest his hand on Jongin’s shoulder. “I’m kidding. Just keep it to yourself. My penname is D.O.”

“Wait, really? Jongin asked. “You wrote _The Winter Tale_ , didn’t you?”

Kyungsoo’s eyes widened. “I did. It was my first book I published. It was also my least popular.”

“Are you kidding?” Jongin excitedly clasped his hands together. “That’s one of my favorite books. I like it because it’s not overly scary. I really love the suspense and cliff-hangers at the end of each chapter. My favorite part was the kind of open-ended ending. It really got me writing theories about the end of the book.” Jongin laughed. “I’m pretty sure I have a notebook filled with theories next to my copy.”

Kyungsoo’s smile grew. “Wow, that’s really nice to hear.” He said. “I got criticized for the ending the most.”

“Don’t listen to them.” Jongin went back to opening another package of seeds. “It was a masterpiece.”

Kyungsoo felt content, the smile on his face not leaving even when the conversation was over.

Once they finished the vegetable garden, Jongin removed the patches of grass they were destroyed and started to replace them. It was something that he could do on his own, so Kyungsoo brought out a blanket and sat on it to keep Jongin company.

“Out of curiosity, how old are you, Jongin?” Kyungsoo asked out of the blue. “You look so young, yet you have your own place. It’s pretty impressive.”

“I’m twenty-four. I got started pretty young because I moved here to Seoul from Suncheon when I was fourteen to join a rookie group. When I became a rookie, I found out that it wasn’t for me. Then, when I turned eighteen, I left the group under a pretense that I would become a choreographer for them once I finished school. Here I am six years later still working for them.” Jongin pushed a patch of grass flush with the rest.

“You’re not much younger than I am. I’m twenty-five. I lived in a small apartment in the city, but I wanted to move into a house, so I could have a garden and a real place of my own. Well, a place for me and Meokmul.”

“Meokmul?” Jongin looked up from the grass. “You have a pet?”

“I have a dog.” Kyungsoo smiled. “You would probably never be able to tell because I don’t let him shit in other people’s yards.”

Jongin pouted. “I’m sorry!”

“I’m just kidding.” Kyungsoo poked Jongin in the bicep. “You’re fun to upset.”

“Gee, thanks.” Jongin said, earning a chuckle from Kyungsoo.

 

It was November, so it was cool outside, but it was also bright. Jongin’s hat wasn’t doing him any justice. Luckily, he brought a pair of aviator sunglasses that he slipped on his face when it got to be too much.

Kyungsoo had excused himself a while earlier and Jongin worked on unrooting the destroyed flowers to replant the new ones he got.

“Jongin.” Kyungsoo poked his head out of his front door. “Take a break and come on in.”

Jongin furrowed his brow at Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo exchanged a raised eyebrow at Jongin, ushering him to go inside. The younger complied and took off his gloves before entering Kyungsoo’s home.

It was the opposite of Jongin’s house, decoration wise. Jongin had dark furniture and light walls, while Kyungsoo had cream-colored furniture and deep maroon walls. His kitchen was bigger than Jongin’s, and his floors were a lightly-stained wood, instead of Jongin’s mocha-colored hardwood in his home.

“I figured I could at least feed you for helping me.” Kyungsoo set out some banchan before putting down a large bowl of sesame chicken.

“You didn’t have to.” Jongin said, standing stoically in the middle of the room. “This is all my fault anyway.”

“Will you stop?” Kyungsoo walked over to Jongin and pulled him to the table by the wrist. “Just sit.”

Kyungsoo went into the kitchen once more and came back to put a bowl of rice in front of his seat and Jongin’s before sitting down.

When the two started eating, a small mass of fur made its way over to Jongin’s feet, taking a seat next to his beige boots.

“You got a dog at your feet?” Kyungsoo grinned. “That’s Meokmul. He’s really calm.”

Jongin looked underneath the table and cooed at the black poodle. “He is so cute. I love his color. The name makes sense now.” He chuckled.

“I know, so creative on my part.” Kyungsoo rolled his eyes and took a piece of kimchi between his chopsticks.

The duo finished their meal and Kyungsoo shooed Jongin away, so he couldn’t help clean the dishes. Instead, Jongin played with Meokmul.

Kyungsoo finished the dishes long ago, but he couldn’t help fondly watching his neighbor play with his dog. He only stopped when Jongin turned around to look for Kyungsoo, smiling when he caught his stare.

“Oh, let me get you your plate.” Kyungsoo took the white plate decorated with paintings of bears to Jongin. “Cute.”

“I know it’s childish. I just really like bears. There are cute.” Jongin stood up and took his plate.

“Say that when you encounter a real one; not so cute then.” Kyungsoo smirked.

“Guess not.” Jongin nodded.

Kyungsoo opened the door for Jongin and Jongin nearly jumped when he saw Junmyeon standing on Kyungsoo’s porch; Junmyeon’s hand in the knocking position.

“Oh, hey, Jongin!” Junmyeon beamed. “What’s up?”

“Oh, nothing really.” Jongin hugged the plate to his chest. “I’m trying to help Kyungsoo fix his garden, since my dogs had their way with it.”

“I was going to say that the garden looks great! I’m sure that it will look better than before when it’s done.” Junmyeon assured the younger.

“Hey, Ju.” Kyungsoo waved to his step-brother.

“Hey, Kyungsoo.” Junmyeon waved back. “I was wondering if you wanted to play some video games? The new Smash just came out and I want to beat your ass.”

“You wish.” Kyungsoo rolled his eyes. “You want to join?”

Jongin didn’t realize the question was directed at him until he felt Kyungsoo tap his bicep.

“Oh, me?” Jongin asked. “It’s okay, you guys should hang out. You’re family, after all.”

“Oh, come on.” Junmyeon grabbed onto Jongin. “Just a couple of rounds. You’ve probably been working on that garden all day. You can finish tomorrow.”

Jongin looked expectantly at Kyungsoo, who nodded in encouragement.

“Okay, I guess a few rounds won’t hurt.” Jongin smiled.

“Great!” Junmyeon clasped his hands together. “Yixing wouldn’t happen to be here too, would he? He can join, as well.”

“He’s tutoring right now.” Jongin said. “I’m sure he would be more than happy to join in another time, though.”

“Of course you’d mention Yixing.” Kyungsoo crossed his arms and rolled his eyes.

Junmyeon shoved his brother in the shoulder. “Shut up.”

Kyungsoo grinned at Jongin. “All he ever talks about is your friend.”

“Oh, you’re one to talk.” Junmyeon said. “All you do when we video chat is talk about how hot you think J-“

“OKAY.” Kyungsoo pat Junmyeon on the back with relative force. “Video games it is. Let’s go.”

Jongin ended up staying for a couple of hours until Junmyeon left for work.

“You’re leaving too?” Kyungsoo asked from his position on the ground where they were playing games.

“Yeah.” Jongin stretched his arms above his head, exposing a small strip of skin on his stomach. “I have to let the dogs out.” He dropped his arms and pointed a finger at Kyungsoo. “And no, they will not go in your garden. From now on, leashes all of the time. I got a fence built specifically so I could let them out while doing something else and that doesn’t even work.”

Kyungsoo grinned as he got up. “If they do it again, you’ll be the one to feel the pain, since it’s your hard work.”

Kyungsoo walked Jongin to the door, not realizing that Junmyeon had already left.

“So, I’ll see you tomorrow?” Jongin pocketed his hands.

“Yep.” Kyungsoo rolled down his sleeves when after he opened the door. “Goodnight, Jongin.”

“Night, Kyungsoo.”

…

Jongin took in his appearance in the mirror before he headed over to Kyungsoo’s. His bangs were getting so long. Enough so that the pieces of hair still touched his eyelids, despite the tousled style he had it in.

He threw on a high-neck yellow sweater before leaving to go to Kyungsoo’s. All he had to do was plant the flowers he purchased, so it wasn’t going to take long.

Jongin send Kyungsoo a text, stating that he was about to come over. He didn’t know if Kyungsoo was a morning person or not, so knocking wasn’t the best idea in his mind.

Once he got to the older’s house, he started to plant the flowers. Previously, he knew nothing about the varieties, so it was nice having to search for the specific flowers Kyungsoo mentioned.

Jongin took a pot full of flowers that smelled like a perfume a grandmother would wear before depotting them and digging a hole for them in the soil.

“Gardenias.” Kyungsoo said behind Jongin, causing him to jump at the sudden company.

“Oh my God, you just took ten years off of my life.” Jongin held a gloved hand to his chest.

“Sorry.” Kyungsoo laughed. He took a seat on the steps to his porch, as the flowers Jongin’s dogs destroyed were initially planted right next to it.

Jongin depotted the first bundle of gardenias and pat the soil down around the stems.

“Do you know what gardenias represent?” Kyungsoo asked, propping his chin up on his palm.

“Honestly, I don’t know anything about flowers.” Jongin continued to pat down the soil. “My mom went out of town once and asked me to house sit, which included watering the plants. I thought I was doing a good job and I couldn’t figure out why the plants were dying. Turns out, the spray bottle that I thought had water in it was full of bleach. I guess I didn’t notice the little piece of tape that stated what was in it.”

Kyungsoo burst out laughing. “Remind me to not leave you in charge of my garden. Like, ever.” He said.

Jongin chuckled. He finished the soil and paused to look at Kyungsoo before continuing. “You never said what their meaning is.”

“They represent trust, purity, secret love, and joy. Gardenias are often used in wedding bouquets, too. However, some people give them as an admirable gesture. Sometimes, it’s used as a subtle confession, or just to tell someone that you think they’re lovely.”  Kyungsoo said.

Jongin grinned and picked up one of the loose Gardenias and handed it to Kyungsoo. “Here.”

Kyungsoo raised a brow at the flower before taking it. “Is this your way of confessing to me?”

“Depends, do you want it to be?” Jongin’s grin grew wider.

They exchanged smiles before laughing together. However, Jongin wondered if Kyungsoo knew he wasn’t really joking about it.

“So, does every flower have its own meaning?” Jongin questioned, starting on the next flower.

“Pretty much.” Kyungsoo used the shears on the patio to cut the stem of the Gardenia before putting it into his breast pocket. “That one you’re planting now, the Bird of Paradise, represents joy.”

“It was so hard for me to find this one in the store. I could remember it was named after some animal, but I didn’t know which one. It kind of makes sense when you see what it looks like.” Jongin applied pressure to the soil.

Kyungsoo came down the steps to help Jongin finish the rest of the flowers.

“So,” Kyungsoo started as he picked up the empty pots, “What are you doing tomorrow?”

“I’m traveling to Daegu for three days.” Jongin took off his dirt-ridden gloves. “One of the rookie groups I choreograph for is going to be having their debut. I have to be there to practice with them beforehand.” He said. “Yixing’s going take care of my dogs. Why do you ask? I thought we finished everything today.” 

“Oh, we did.” Kyungsoo grabbed the last pot and headed toward his shed with Jongin in tow. “It was—never mind. That’s really cool you get to do that.”

“I’m excited for them.” Jongin smiled. “Those guys really put their heart and soul into their group.”

“Well, I hope you have fun.”

…

Kyungsoo was bored. He just started to get to know Jongin, and he already felt more attached to the younger than he should. How could he not? Sure, Jongin’s dogs messed with his garden, but he wasn’t too mad at them, considering Jongin spent most of the past two days with him.

He had to admit, when he first caught a glimpse of Jongin, he expected him to be cocky because of his looks. He was relieved to find out that it was quite the opposite. Kyungsoo felt a little bit like an asshole for making Jongin feel so guilty. Plus, he was a little selfish taking Jongin up on his offer to fix his garden. He could have done it himself, but he also wasn’t opposed to having Jongin in his personal space.

He was taken out of his thoughts when he heard his front door open. He pivoted his head from the couch to see the entrance.

“Hey, Junmyeon.” Kyungsoo waved from the couch.

“Kyungsoo! Go put on some sweatpants. We’re going jogging.” Junmyeon hopped over the couch and onto the cushions.

“Ew, what, why?” Kyungsoo asked. “Gross.”

“Okay, just because you’re one of those guys that is naturally toned doesn’t mean you don’t need some fresh air. Come on, we’re going to go get Yixing after.”

Kyungsoo sighed and got up. “Do you know where he lives? Better yet, does he know he’s going jogging tonight?”

“He’s staying at Jongin’s until he gets back.” Junmyeon followed Kyungsoo up the stairs to his bedroom. “Convenient right?”

“Sure.” Kyungsoo closed the door in his step-brother’s face, so he could quickly change. He appeared in black sweatpants and the same black hoodie he was already wearing. “Let’s go be miserable for an hour.”

Junmyeon clasped him on the back before going down the stairs and heading toward Jongin’s house.

As soon as he knocked, the door flew open. Yixing was fashioning his glasses, as well as a pair of forest green track pants and a black zip-up hoodie. His dimpled smile greeted the brothers.

Jongin’s poodles swarmed their feat, picking up on the scent of Meokmul immediately.

“Hi, Junmyeon. Hi, Kyungsoo.” Yixing ushered them in.

“It feels weird being in Jongin’s house without him here.” Kyungsoo said.

“Oh yeah, you’ve never been here before, right?” Yixing asked. “You should come jogging with us more, especially when Jongin is here. Junmyeon stays for the movies afterwards and you can too.”

“I don’t know about that—maybe.” Kyungsoo said.

Jongin’s home was very tidy. Kyungsoo couldn’t help but smile to himself when he saw three dog beds in the living room, each embroidered with one of his dog’s names.

“I’ll let him give you the grand tour in the future.” Yixing winked. “His bedroom looks like an eight-year-olds. It is filled with stuffed bear plushies.”

Yixing refreshed the water bowl for the dogs before they left. Kyungsoo got distracted by the photos on the wall as he waited.

He saw a photo of Jongin and his parents hanging on the wall. Jongin looked so much younger and less toned. The next one was of him, probably as a teenager, in between two girls. The third photo was of him in a tuxedo standing next to a girl. It could have been his sibling, but the woman in the photo didn’t look similar to either of the girls in the second photo.

“Does Jongin have any sisters?” Kyungsoo asked aloud. “Or is this a girlfriend or something?”

Kyungsoo heard Yixing laugh from behind him and a pair of footsteps approaching where he was standing.

“A girlfriend? No, that’s one of his sisters. That’s from her wedding.” Yixing leaned against the wall. Junmyeon threw an arm around his step-brother’s shoulders and chuckled.

“Why do you care if he has a girlfriend or not?” Junmyeon smirked.

“I don’t.” Kyungsoo answered in a defensive tone. “I was just curious.”

“Don’t think you’ll have to worry about that.” Yixing chuckled. “Anyway, let’s go.”

…

While Jongin enjoyed his trip to Daegu, he was excited to get back home.

Unfortunately, he got back quite late. It was nearing midnight and he was exhausted. He spent nearly thirteen hours behind the scenes of the rookie group’s music video the first day. The second day was the showcase where they debuted and the third day, Jongin got offered to host a dance workshop with the main choreographer of an entertainment company. The instructor, Oh Sehun, ended up hitting it off well with Jongin and they exchanged numbers. It was a beautiful friendship in the making.

Unfortunately, he had to rush to the train station after the workshop, since it ended up lasting all day. That’s how Jongin found himself exiting a cab a few blocks away from his home, suitcase in tow. He felt badly that Yixing had to stay another night, but that also meant free food to his best friend, which he never declined.

Jongin rolled his suitcase down the sidewalk, stopping when he heard his name.

“Jongin?” The voice called. He could already tell it was Kyungsoo.

The streetlamps barely hit up Kyungsoo’s yard, yet he could make out the older sitting on the steps of his patio.

“Kyungsoo? What are you doing out this late?” Jongin asked. He abandoned his suitcase on the sidewalk and approached Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo pat the stair next to him and Jongin took a seat.

“Writer’s block.” Kyungsoo groaned. “Distract me, please. I’m way too deep into my own thoughts.” He frowned.

“I don’t know how to distract you.” Jongin drummed his fingers on his thighs. “Oh, wait! Yes I do.”

Jongin quickly ran over to his suitcase and pulled out a black shopping bag. “I saw this in one of the shops and thought of you.”” He handed Kyungsoo a flower trinket. “It’s solar powered. If you put it out during the day, the flower will move.” He pulled out a small tin. “I also got you some apple tea. It was pretty much a crime to go to Daegu and not get anything related to fruit.”

Kyungsoo took the items, slightly shocked at the kind gesture.

“Thank you, Jongin. You didn’t have to.” Kyungsoo set the items next to him.

“It’s not a problem. I like bringing back gifts for my friends.” Jongin said. “We are friends, right?”

Kyungsoo chuckled. “Yes, Jongin, we’re friends.”

“Okay, cool.” Jongin set the bag next to him. “So, where are you stuck in your story?

Kyungsoo sighed. “I had the chapter finished and I sent it to my editor, but he said that it wouldn’t flow well with the story. I swear, Minseok is such a hardass.”

“I don’t want to ask anything because I’m sure it’s all confidential.” Jongin started. “I will say that, if you like what you wrote, you should stick with it.”

“I’ll just tell you. The main characters are three best friends. One of them is being targeted by a serial killer. Turns out, that the killer isn’t the only person after him. One by one, the people around him turn on him, except for the main guy’s two best friends. I was thinking about ending the most recent chapter I wrote with a subtle hint that one of his friends may not be as trustworthy as he thought.” Kyungsoo finished. “I know, I’m stressing over fictional characters. Total first-world problems.”

“Hey, don’t say that.” Jongin lightly bumped shoulders with Kyungsoo. “Writing is your living. You’re allowed to be stressed over it.” He smiled lightly. “Anyway, I think that sounds really interesting. It’s probably a good thing that it doesn’t flow with the story; you’re not supposed to suspect that one of the main characters is bad.”

“Thank you. Again.” Kyungsoo accidentally bumped his knee into Jongin’s. “It’s nice to know that at least one person has faith in me.”

“Yeah, me and your millions of fans.” Jongin rolled his eyes, though Kyungsoo probably couldn’t see it, and chuckled. “Stick with it. If you wrote it, it has to be good.”

Kyungsoo’s blushed lightly, flattered at the sudden praise. “Enough being cheesy, how was the debut?”

“It was amazing!” Jongin said. “The guys are doing such a good job. I know they’re going to rise up in fame.”

“That’s great.” Kyungsoo responded. “I have to admit that you look exhausted, though.”

“How can you tell?” Jongin pouted. “It’s dark out.”

“I’m not blind, I can still see.” Kyungsoo said. “Oh, I went jogging with Yixing and Junmyeon a few days ago.”

“Really?” Jongin asked. “How did that go?”

“Aside from how oblivious they are to each other, it was good. We picked up Yixing and, while I only went into your living room, Yixing promise you’d give me the grand tour. I heard that you may or may not have a plushie collection.”

Jongin’s face burned in embarrassment. “I’m going to kill him. I can’t believe he told you that.”

“Why? It’s cute.” Kyungsoo pat Jongin on the hand reassuringly. “Can I be honest with you? I thought you and Yixing were dating when I first saw you guys.”

Jongin burst out laughing. “Oh my God, no. I have to admit, I can see why it comes off that way. He’s really affectionate and likes touching people’s butts, but we are definitely not dating. I kind of liked him when I first met him ages ago, until he opened his mouth.” Jongin said. “He’s cute, but he’s also weird as hell. One time, we were watching a movie and there were sheep in it eating grass. You know what he did right after? He went outside and ate grass. It wasn’t like he was a little kid. This happened a month ago. Picture a twenty-six-year-old eating grass. It’s strange.”

“Junmyeon is weird too and pretty embarrassing. He dances randomly in public and doesn’t care who is watching. It would be different if he danced well, but…that’s not the case. I purposely didn’t tell him where I was moving because he would have insisted on helping me decorate and my aesthetic is not girl groups plastered on my walls.” The two shared a laugh together. “So, you’re not dating Yixing. Got it.”

“Still concerned about that, aren’t we?” Jongin teased the older. “But, no. Hell no. He’s not my type.”

“Ah, so you have a type.” Kyungsoo said. “I see.”’

“Don’t we all?” Jongin asked. He was about to add onto his sentence when his phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and showed Kyungsoo his screen. The caller ID read ‘LAY’ and below it was a picture of Yixing wearing a hoodie with bunny ears and him throwing a peace sign at the camera.

“Hello?” Jongin spoke into the phone. “Yeah, I’m really sorry, Xing. Um, actually right outside. You probably can’t see me because I’m sitting with Kyungsoo on his porch.” Jongin quickly glanced over to Kyungsoo and smiled. “Shut up or I’ll say the same thing about you to Ju- Oh? You cut me off. It’s like you didn’t want me to say it, huh?” Jongin smirked. “Alright, I’m coming over. No, we can’t cuddle.” Jongin stood up and sighed. “Fine, make hot chocolate and then I’ll consider it.” Jongin hung up the phone.

“Sorry, I totally forgot Yixing was over at my place.” Jongin said.

“Not a problem.” Kyungsoo picked up his gifts and stood up. “I should go inside anyway.” He said.

“Good luck writing!” Jongin waved to Kyungsoo as he went down the pathway.

“Good luck with lover boy! Have fun cuddling.” Kyungsoo joked, only slightly jealous.

Jongin walked backwards to his suitcase as he spoke to Kyungsoo. “I told you, he isn’t my type!”

“What is your type then?” Kyungsoo questioned, eyeing Jongin reach for the handle of his suitcase and pull it behind him.

“You, of course.” Jongin said before turning toward his house, leaving a bewildered Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo laughed. ‘ _He must really enjoy messing with me._ ’ He thought to himself.

…

The next day, Jongin spent all morning making a cake for Kyungsoo. He felt badly that the older was in such a conundrum about his book, so it was the least he could do.

“Is that for me?” Yixing emerged from Jongin’s bathroom with wet hair.

“You wish.” Jongin grinned. “Actually, there will be extra batter, so I can make you a cupcake.”

“You’re the best!” Yixing stretched out his arms. “But, really, who is it for?”

“Kyungsoo.” Jongin began to pour the batter in his greased tin. “He’s been working hard on his book, so I wanted to do something nice. Plus, I still feel bad about what the dogs did to his garden.”

Yixing rolled his eyes and entered the kitchen. He picked up one of the spatulas and tried the batter. “Oh, come on, Jongin. You already fixed his garden. Admit you’re crushing on him already.”

“Am not.” Jongin said in a defensive tone. “I just think he’s really cool and didn’t get too mad about what happened. Kyungsoo’s really hard working and, I don’t know. It was really nice getting to talk to him yesterday. He’s really cute; I love how his whole face scrunches up when he smiles.” Jongin stopped what he was doing when it clicked in his mind. “Shit, I do like him.”

Yixing sarcastically clapped. “Wow, amazing, proud of you.”

Jongin threw the kitchen towel at him. “Shut up.” He laughed. “Are you sticking around today, or not?”

“Not.” Yixing picked up the towel and put it on the counter. “I’m actually going to see a movie with Junmyeon. I’ll come over later to jog, though.”

“Oh, look at you.” Jongin grinned. “Have fun at the movies.”

“I will.” Yixing pulled out his phone and checked his messages. “Gotta go, see you.”

When Yixing left, Jongin continued to finish the cake. He cut up strawberries for the top and make buttercream icing.

By the time he was finished, it was nearing mid-afternoon. The layers of cake took a while to cool down, so Jongin spent the time playing video games. Resident Evil was calling his name, and he wasn’t one to ignore it’s beckoning.

Jongin put the cake on a tray and wrapped it up nicely before bringing it to Kyungsoo. When he got there, he knocked and rang the doorbell, but no one came to the door.

Jongin shrugged. It was plenty cool outside, so the cake wouldn’t melt. He put it on the podium near the front door and headed back to his home.

When he let the dogs out later in the evening, he saw that the cake was still there. Maybe Kyungsoo wasn’t home.

Yixing showed up a couple of hours later in his usual jogging attire.

“Junmyeon’s coming too. He’s at Kyungsoo’s.” Yixing said.

“How did the date go?” Jongin didn’t hesitate to ask.

“Really well, though I don’t think it was a date in his eyes. At one point, I reached out to hold his hand. You know what he did? He high-fived me!” Yixing sat at the table and buried his face in his hands.

“Maybe he thought it wasn’t a date because he doesn’t know you like him. Call it a date next time.” Jongin tied a bandana over his forehead.

A knock on the door filled the silence.

“Hold on, let me go get your man.” Jongin said as he went to the door. He was surprised to see that Kyungsoo was standing next to Junmyeon, a tired expression on his face.

“Hey.” Jongin smiled warmly. “Make yourselves at home.”

The two newcomers were bombarded by Jongin’s three poodles jumping on them demanding for pets. Kyungsoo sat on the ground and let Monggu jump in his lap.

“So, what movie do you guys want to watch later?” Yixing asked, moving aside on the couch to let Junmyeon sit next to him.

“A horror movie for sure. I was playing Resident Evil earlier and it got me in the mood.” Jongin sat on the floor next to Kyungsoo.

“Okay. Let’s check out what is available, and we can choose from there.” Yixing said. Junmyeon and Yixing turned on the television and looked through the movies to stream.

“Are you okay?” Jongin asked, dipping his head low to catch Kyungsoo’s eyes.

“Yeah, sorry. I’m just really tired.” Kyungsoo responded, petting Monggu.

“Why don’t you go home and rest then? You can stay here too if you want. I don’t mind.” Jongin offered.

“No, it’s okay. I feel badly for missing you earlier. Thank you for the cake, by the way.” Kyungsoo offered a small smile. “It made the all-nighter I pulled bearable. When Junmyeon brought it in for me, I thought he made it.”

“Glad to hear it.” Jongin beamed. “Really, though. Why don’t you rest and then we can watch the movie when we get back?”

“Are you sure?” Kyungsoo asked.

“Absolutely.” Jongin responded. “If you feel weird about it, I can hang with you while they go.” Jongin leaned over to Kyungsoo to whisper. “Trust me, I don’t mind waiting here. My legs feel like jelly after all of the practicing I did in Daegu.”

Kyungsoo smirked. “I’ll take you up on it. Maybe the two of them together would be good. Junmyeon came over after their date and was whining. He said that he didn’t think it was a date because Yixing called him ‘bro’ once. I told him he’s stupid.”

“Yixing calls everyone that.” Jongin rolled his eyes.

“We found a movie!” Yixing called from the couch. “It’s an American movie. Is that okay?”

“Yeah, that’s fine!” Jongin called back.

Junmyeon and Yixing got up from the couch and joined them in the middle of the living room where they were sitting.

“Ready to go, bro?” He asked Jongin.

Junmyeon shot Kyungsoo an incredulous look that Jongin tried to not smirk from catching.

“Actually,” Jongin leaned back on his elbows, “I’m kind of sort of dying from Daegu. You two should go and come back here after to watch the movie.”

“Okay.” Yixing pat Jongin on the shoulder. “Feel better.” He looked at Kyungsoo. “And you?”

“He pulled al all-nighter, Xing.” Jongin said.

“Yeah.” Kyungsoo agreed. “Jongin said I can hang here with him.”

“Have fun on your jogging date, though!” Jongin grinned. “Make sure to take a romantic stroll in Seoul Forest, too.”

“Oh, we will.” Junmyeon reached for Yixing’s forearm. “Come on, before it gets any colder.”

When Junmyeon and Yixing left, Jongin stood up and held a hand out to help Kyungsoo.

“If you want to rest, you can in my room. The couch is comfortable too.” Jongin said.

“You’re already trying to take me to the bedroom?” Kyungsoo joked. “We haven’t even gone on a date yet.”

Jongin shoved him lightly. “You tease. You know what I meant.”

“I know, I know.” Kyungsoo said. “We can chill on the couch.”

The two ended up talking over coffee, hot chocolate for Jongin, instead of resting. Kyungsoo had an advantage of being able to spend time with Jongin, so he didn’t want to waste it on a nap.

“Are you feeling better now?” Jongin asked. “What did your editor say?”

“I ended up emailing him explaining the chapter. He completely changed his mind after he thought it out. I have you to thank for that.” Kyungsoo took a drink of his coffee.

“You have yourself to thank. You wrote the chapter. You just needed a little push, that’s it.” Jongin responded.

“You always know the right thing to say, don’t you? Be careful who you’re kind to, you might make them fall for you.” Kyungsoo said. Jjangah appeared at his feet, pawing the couch to get up. Kyungsoo caved and let the toy poodle rest in his lap.

“Maybe that’s the goal.” Jongin looked at Kyungsoo. “That’s the only way I could get someone to like me. I’m not a romantic.”

“Uh, yeah you are. You’re pretty flirty, if I do say so myself.” Kyungsoo set down the drink to pet Jjangah.

“Really? I’ve never gotten that before. People say I turn into a different person when I dance, but that’s just a false persona. I’m pretty shy.”

Kyungsoo hummed. “I see.”

“Maybe I only get that way around people I like.” Jongin bluntly said.

Kyungsoo side-eyed the younger. “What do you mean by that?”

Jongin shrugged, bringing the mug to his lips. “Take it as you will.”

Soon after, Yixing and Junmyeon came back and joined them on the couch.

“How was the jog?” Jongin asked, making room for the two.

“Good.” Yixing grinned at Junmyeon. “Really good.”

Kyungsoo and Jongin exchanged a glance.

“Did you finally realize you’re both idiots and confess to each other?” Kyungsoo said.

Junmyeon and Yixing stared at each other in surprise.

“What? No!” Yixing said. “No way.”

“No way?” Junmyeon repeated. “What does that mean?”

“Oh my God, I didn’t mean it like it sounded unappealing to me. It doesn’t by any means. I just know that you don’t like me, and I guess I’m pretty obvious and Kyungsoo is just trying to embarrass me.” Yixing shot a death glare at Kyungsoo. “And he’s succeeding.”

“I’ll confess something to you.” Junmyeon started. “The first time you came in and gave me your name for the cup, I remembered it and found you on Instagram and I’ve lowkey been stalking your page ever since.”

“He’s literally been doing the same exact thing to you.” Jongin sunk into the couch and grinned in content.

“Uh, we really are idiots.” Yixing frowned. “Well, what happens next?”

“We can go on an actual date.” Junmyeon suggested.

“I thought the movies was an actual date until you high-fived me when I tried to make a move.” Yixing ran a hand through his hair.

“You called me bro! How was I supposed to know you were doing that?” Junmyeon retorted.

“Okay, enough of the lover’s quarrel.” Kyungsoo sighed. “Can we just watch the movie?”

…

Halfway through the movie, Kyungsoo fell asleep, as expected.

“Poor Kyungsoo, his neck is going to kill him tomorrow.” Yixing said.

The four of them sat on the couch together, so it caused the proximity to be closer than normal. Jongin felt Kyungsoo leaning on him earlier and didn’t have the heart to wake him. He was sleeping in the crook of Jongin’s neck, incapacitating the younger.

“How am I supposed to get out of this?” Jongin asked, careful not to move too much and wake up Kyungsoo.

Yixing shrugged. “No idea, but that’s for you to figure out.” He grinned.

“Jerk.” Jongin scowled. “But really, how do I get him home?”

“If you don’t mind him sleeping on the couch, you can just slip out.” Junmyeon said. “It’s up to you, but the poor guy barely had rest and you do not want to see how he acts when you wake him up from his slumber.”

“Noted.” Jongin gave Junmyeon a thumbs-up.

“I’ll check on Meokmul before I head out.” Junmyeon headed for the front door. “You coming?” He differed the conversation to Yixing.

“Oh, yeah.” Yixing waved goodbye to Jongin and followed. “See you.”

Once the duo left, Jongin carefully got up, cautiously setting Kyungsoo down on the couch. He went to his bedroom to get a pillow and blanket. He gently lifted Kyungsoo’s head to place the pillow down and put the blanket on him.

Once Kyungsoo was set, Jongin took his leave to the bedroom.

…

Jongin woke up the next morning, showering and getting ready before heading downstairs.

He nearly forgot Kyungsoo was there until he saw the mass underneath his blanket on the couch.

Jongin smiled to himself, continuing to make his way into the kitchen to prepare food for his dogs. When done, he prepared some rice soup and steamed fish.

When Jongin finished cooking, he plated the meal, preparing an extra dish for Kyungsoo when he got up and ate his meal. He let the dogs out when he was done and came back into the house, taking a seat on his loveseat, so he could plan out the choreography for an idol that recently recruited him. He put on headphones and played music as he did so.

“Jongin?” Jongin thought he heard a while later. He looked up from his notebook to see Kyungsoo with messy hair and tired eyes looking around the room. Jongin pulled his headphone out of one ear and smiled at Kyungsoo.

“Morning, sunshine.” Jongin said.

“I am so sorry.” Kyungsoo blinked a few times before he adjusted to the unfamiliar location. “You should have gotten me up.”

“I didn’t mind at all. You were so tired, so I didn’t have the heart to wake you.” Jongin removed both headphone pieces and paused his music. “Are you feeling better?”

“Yes, thank you.” Kyungsoo said. “You’ve been doing all of these nice gestures for me and I haven’t done shit for you.”

Jongin had the advantage in the conversation and he wasn’t about to let his opportunity go to waste.

“I mean, there is one way you can make it up to me.” Jongin closed his notebook and crossed his legs.

“What’s that?” Kyungsoo fully sat up and eyed Jongin.

“Are you busy today? Better yet, have you ever been to Han River?” Jongin asked.

“I don’t really have anything to do, no. I wrote a shit-ton yesterday. Also, surprisingly enough, I’ve never been there.” Kyungsoo said.

“Would you like to? We can bring our dogs to Hangang Park together.” Jongin shyly smiled, looking down at his, suddenly very interesting, wooden floor.

“Is this like…” Kyungsoo paused. “Two pals hanging out? Or is this a date?”

“I’m hoping it’s a date.” Jongin drummed his fingers on the armrest of the seat. “Sorry if you’re not interested or anything. That’s totally fine. I just figured it was about time I asked. I saw how dumb Yixing and Junmyeon were being and,” He rambled.

“Jongin.” Kyungsoo said.

“You know, it was just so funny how they were stumbling around each other and I didn’t realize I liked you until I was talking to Yixing about you. Boy, was that a revelation.” Jongin continued.

“Jongin.” Kyungsoo repeated.

“But, anyway, I figured that we would hang out with the dogs and maybe mine can make their amends with you.”

“Jongin!” Kyungsoo said more loudly.

“Sorry, I talk a lot when I’m nervous.” Jongin sheepishly answered.

“I’d be more than happy to go on a date with you.” Kyungsoo laughed. “I’ve wanted to ever since you helped with the garden. I was kind of selfish and used the situation to my advantage.”

“Really?” Jongin stood up. “I thought that was going to go badly.” He smiled. “Whenever you want, we can go. I also made you some breakfast. I will warm it up for you while you get ready.”

“Sure.” Kyungsoo folded the blanket he was using into a neat rectangle. “I’m going to get ready at my place and grab Meokmul. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

…

Kyungsoo came back fifteen minutes later with Meokmul in tow. His hair was in a comma style and he had on a black turtleneck with a leather jacket over it combined with his usual jeans and combat boots. Jongin suddenly felt inferior in his brown pilot jacket, denim shirt, and beige jeans he changed into when Kyungsoo left.

Kyungsoo set Meokmul down and he quickly got along with Jongin’s dogs.

“They like each other.” Kyungsoo watched the dogs interact.

“That’s good.” Jongin set down the prepared food at the table. “Here you go. You look really nice, by the way.”

Kyungsoo grinned. “Thank you, but I could say the same for you. You look straight out of a Ralph Lauren magazine.”

“Don’t boost my ego.” Jongin joked. “Thank you, Kyungsoo.”

Kyungsoo enjoyed the meal, boasting about how good it was to Jongin before they left.

They took the metro to the parks, as it was too long of a walk.

Once they got to the parks, Jongin tried to settle down his dogs, while Meokmul was well-behaved as usual.

“Do you want some help?” Kyungsoo asked, entertained by the poodles walking Jongin, rather than the other way around. “Here, I’ll take Jjanggu.”

“You remembered his name?” Jongin asked, handing the red leash to Kyungsoo. “You’re a lifesaver.”

“How ever did you manage all of these years without me?” Kyungsoo dramatically said.

The duo enjoyed walking around the parks and the river for a couple of hours before finding an unleashed dog park, where they could sit and enjoy each other’s company over hot tea.

“It is really nice here.” Kyungsoo said. He wrapped his hands around the cup for warmth.

Jongin closed his eyes and smiled, enjoying the breeze on his face. “It is.” He responded. “I want to take you to a café around here after, if you don’t mind. My friend’s mom owns it and she makes amazing Samgyeopsal.”

“I’m sold.” Kyungsoo grinned. “It’s pet friendly?”

“It is.” Jongin nodded in affirmation. “How about we get out of the cold for a little bit and head over?”

“Sure.” Kyungsoo stood up and they gathered up the dogs before walking to the café.

When they entered the quaint café, they were greeted by a middle-aged woman with kind eyes and dark hair.

“Jongin! So good to see you.” She said.

“Hi, Mrs. Byun. How are you doing?” Jongin gave the woman a hug.

“Doing well! Baekhyun just finished up his master’s degree, so he is able to stop by more.” Mrs. Byun began walking to a table, nodding to indicate for them to follow.

“I think he may have mentioned that to me. I’m sure you’re very proud of him.” Jongin said.

“I am.” Mrs. Byun averted her attention to Kyungsoo. “And who is this?”

“This is Kyungsoo and the black poodle is his dog, Meokmul.” Jongin responded.

“Pleased to meet you, Kyungsoo. Please, take a seat.”

They both sat in the booth next to each other and the dogs found their way into the cushioned dog house next to the table.

“It’s good to meet you too. Jongin said your samgyeopsal is very good.” Kyungsoo offered a charming smile.

“Oh, thank you!” She said. “I’ll put an order of that in right now. Would you two like some tea to start off?”

“Yes, please. Thank you, Mrs. Byun.”

“She’s nice.” Kyungsoo said as he watched her walk away. “Who is Baekhyun? Her son?”

“Yeah, he’s one of her sons.” Jongin said. “He’s a couple years older than me, but I met him at an arcade when we were younger, oddly enough.”

The two enjoyed light conversation and lunch before getting ready to leave.

When the bill came, Jongin quickly took out his card to pay.

“You didn’t need to do that.” Kyungsoo frowned in defeat once the waitress walked away.

“It’s a date that I asked you on, of course I did.” Jongin winked at Kyungsoo.

After eating, they headed back to their neighborhood. While on the train, Jongin turned to Kyungsoo.

“I know you’ve spent all day with me, but would you like to go to the fall fair with me tonight? We can drop off the dogs and then head over.” He suggested.

“I love fairs.” Kyungsoo said. “That sounds like a plan.”

They dropped off the dogs and headed out. Luckily, the fair was close, so they could walk.

They headed over mostly in comfortable silence, Jongin occasionally bumping into Kyungsoo while avoiding bugs.

“It’s just a fly, it can’t hurt you.” Kyungsoo grinned when Jongin gasped at an insect.

“I’m still going to karate chop them if they try to get in my personal space.” Jongin scowled at a bug that flew past him.

“The fair is so beautiful. I love how it lights up the whole place.” Kyungsoo looked at the rides in awe.

“It is.” Jongin smiled. “So, that means you’re enjoying yourself?”

Kyungsoo looked up at Jongin. “Absolutely. I never would have imagined that my pain-in-the-ass neighbor was actually a sweetheart.”

“I don’t know if that was a compliment or not but thank you regardless.” Jongin chuckled.

As subtly as he could, Jongin felt for Kyungsoo’s hand, lightly taking it into his as they entered the fairgrounds.

Kyungsoo intertwined his fingers with Jongin’s and gave his hand a squeeze of encouragement before going through the gates of the fair.

Kyungsoo purchased tickets for them before taking Jongin’s hand into his once more.

“Where to first?” Kyungsoo asked the younger.

“On a scale of one to ten, how cheesy would it be suggesting one of the games where I can win you a stuffed animal and then I give it to you?” Jongin questioned.

“Ten.” Kyungsoo said. “Let’s do it.”

It ended up being Kyungsoo that won the prize. Naturally, he gave the stuffed bear to Jongin.

Jongin insisted on winning Kyungsoo something. They went to the dart booth and Jongin nearly missed every balloon.

“Because you’re cute,” The girl manning the game stand said, “You can choose something.”

“I’ll take the cat plush, please.” He pointed excitedly at the gray stuffed animal.

She handed it to him and deflated as soon as he handed it to Kyungsoo.

He reached for Kyungsoo’s hand and waved to her with the other. “Thanks again!” He said.

Kyungsoo didn’t forget to give her a smug smile.

They walked past the giant donut booth, ultimately deciding that they didn’t want to have clotted arteries in their twenties and headed for the haunted house.

“Wait,” Jongin pointed to one of the lines for a ride, “Junmyeon and Yixing are here.”

Yixing and Junmyeon were turned around, but Yixing had his arm around Junmyeon’s waist and they were having a discussion.

“Fancy seeing you here, Jun.” Kyungsoo said from behind them, causing Junmyeon to jump.

“Do you want me to die? Is that your goal? Get insurance on me first, jeez.” Junmyeon rest his hands above his knees and caught his breath.

“Sorry.” Kyungsoo chuckled.

“So you finally decided to go on an actual date, huh?” Jongin said to both of them.

Yixing looked Jongin and Kyungsoo up and down, grinning in return. “I could say the same for you. But, yes, we are.”

“Finally.” Kyungsoo said.

“Uh, yeah, finally.” Junmyeon agreed. “About time you guys went out.”

“I was talking about you, dummy. Not us.” Kyungsoo said.

“I’m the dummy? You moved in next to someone that looks like that and you gave him a hard time about his dogs shitting in your yard. You secretly loved the fact that your garden was their disposal site, didn’t you?” Junmyeon glared at Kyungsoo in a playful manner.

“Oh, hush.” Kyungsoo retorted. “Move up, you’re holding back the line.”

“Hey, we’ll catch up with you guys later, alright?” Yixing called.

“Sure!” Jongin waved. “See you.”

Kyungsoo pointed out a photobooth.

“Let’s do this before going on the ferris wheel.” He pulled the younger toward the booth.

Jongin sat first, trying to make room for Kyungsoo in the small booth. Kyungsoo ended up having to sit partially on the seat with one leg thrown over Jongin’s.

For the first photo, Jongin and Kyungsoo smiled normally in it. For the second, they held up the stuffed animals they won. In the third one, Jongin wrapped his arm around Kyungsoo’s waist and hoisted him up further on his lap before throwing a peace sign to the camera.

In the last one, Kyungsoo side-eyed Jongin. “You’re not going to be all cheesy and make your move when the photo is being taken, are you?”

“Depends.” Jongin looked at Kyungsoo. “Do you want me to?”

“Kind of.” Kyungsoo smirked.

“Let’s meet half way then.” Jongin said, kissing Kyungsoo’s cheek for the photo.

They exited the booth and took the printed photos, separating the double copies to each take one.

“These are cute.” Jongin pocketed the photos after examining them.

Kyungsoo pinched Jongin’s cheek. “Because of you.” He joked. “Anyway, let’s go to the ferris wheel.”

When they got to the ride, Junmyeon and Yixing were in line as well. They all agreed to go on the ride together.

When they were done, it was late into the night and they were tired. Jongin and Kyungsoo waved their goodbyes to the newly formed couple before heading home.

“Thanks for tonight.” Kyungsoo swung their hands as they entered the neighborhood. “I’ll plan next time.”

“Who said I wanted there to be a next time?” Jongin plainly said. When he got no response from Kyungsoo, he snaked his arm around his waist and pulled him closer. “I’m just kidding! I would like there to be a lot of next times with you.”

“You scared me, you asshole!” Kyungsoo lightly slapped Jongin’s arm.

“I won’t do it again.” Jongin frowned.

They stopped in front of Kyungsoo’s patio to say their goodbyes.

“I’ll see you tomorrow?” Jongin raised his brows and gave a lopsided grin.

“Yes, you will.” Kyungsoo said.

“Goodnight, Kyungsoo.”

“Goodnight, Jongin.”

…

For the next three weeks, Kyungsoo spent a lot of time working on his book. Jongin focused on his dance lessons but had to take a week off from them to go to Busan.

Though they were both busy, Jongin and Kyungsoo never failed to make time to see each other, aside from the occasional glance out the window or seeing the other letting out their dog.

Jongin came back from Busan and unlocked his door. He entered his house and greeted his dogs. Yixing had told him he had to leave early, but they would be taken care of until they got back.

Jongin put his things away, despite being exhausted from the trip. He almost didn’t hear the doorbell ring until his dogs started barking.

Jongin went to open it and was greeted by Kyungsoo.

“Hey, Jongin.” Kyungsoo beamed. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too.” Jongin enveloped Kyungsoo into a hug. “Everything hurts.”

“I bet.” Kyungsoo answered. “Do you want help unpacking? You need to rest.”

Jongin shrugged. “It’s okay. I’m almost done.” He smirked at the older. “Did you come here just to ‘help me unpack’?” Jongin put air quotes around the last words.

“Actually, no.” Kyungsoo said. “I came by to tell you to get your dogs to stop shitting in my yard. My petunias are defiled.”

Jongin turned to scowl at the closest dog. “Again?” He said. “Why are you guys like this?”

Kyungsoo pat Jongin’s forearm that was holding the door open. “I’m just fucking with you.” He chuckled. “There is one way you can make it up, though.”

“Really?” Jongin smirked and crossed his arms. “And how is that?”

“We can make us official.” Kyungsoo asked. Jongin had never seen him shy until that moment. It was cute. “If you want.”

Jongin put a finger up to his chin. “I don’t know about that. I mean, you’re alright, I guess.”

Jongin felt guilty for joking, immediately apologizing.

“I’m just kidding! I would love to be your boyfriend. I’ve been working up the nerve to ask you.” Jongin took Kyungsoo’s hand into his.

“Asshole.” Kyungsoo frowned.

Jongin tilted his boyfriend’s chin up and smiled. “I’m sorry. I’m just your asshole neighbor whose dogs don’t care about your garden.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Kyungsoo lightly poked Jongin in the chest. “Now, are you going to let me in or not?”

“Sure thing, Soo.”

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
